Meet Bev Bender, Arizona Municipal Clerks Association President

Please tell us a little about your background.
I'm an Iowan by birth, but feel more like an Arizona native after moving here from California in 1993. Prior employment before the town includes experience in the areas of accounting and that of an executive assistant.

The Town of Fountain Hills has been my "work" home since 1994 when I was hired to fill a vacancy in the clerk's office. The town incorporated in 1989, so I've been present through many of its changes that have occurred over the last 21 years in Fountain Hills. In 2003, I became the town's "second" town clerk since its incorporation. I've been active in the Arizona Municipal Clerks' Association since 2001 and more recently as a member of its Executive Board.

What prompted you to go into the municipal clerk profession?
When first I began my employment with the Town in 1994, I was fortunate to work for the Town's first Clerk, Cassie Hansen where I had the benefit of learning about the clerk's role and office functions and responsibilities from the ground up; her mentorship throughout the various positions I held while working in the clerk's office fostered my continued interest in public service. Each day is different in the clerk world due to the variety of duties and responsibilities, which include the areas of administration, election, and records.

The role of the clerk's office is to ensure open government through the effective delivery of government information, records, and services in an impartial, confidential, friendly and trustworthy manner, which translates into being a "go to department" in the organization. The clerk's office is usually public's first contact with local government as its the office that the public, voters, staff and elected officials contact when not knowing where to begin their information quest. The clerk has always held an important role in local government with our duties laid out in statute. Clerks are said to be the "oldest" among local public servants (along with the tax collector) holding many different titles over the years; although clerks are known to be the historians and record keepers, our duties are far more reaching.

As in any position duties may change but the underlying role of a clerk remains and it's this continuity that provides the calming effect in our ever changing world environment. Although I did not aspire to be a town clerk, I could not imagine a better fit as it has allowed me the privilege to serve our citizens and has provided the opportunity to be a part of the town's history in a small way. I've been very fortunate over the years to have made friends with many of our passionate citizens who serve or who have served their community either as an elected official, in another leadership or creative role; their innovative ideas and passion for the Town never cease to amaze me.

What goals are you most proud of that have been achieved since you became president of AMCA?
Open communication and collaboration are key objectives we continue to strive for this year with additional focus on promoting the clerk profession and providing our members with meaningful educational/training opportunities for the members.

Serving as AMCA President you are always in the process of either learning or communicating since you may be completing a prior year's project while moving ideas forward through the process during the year. AMCA has been extremely lucky to have had dedicated past and present board members, committee members, and fellow clerks who are willing to assist with increased membership communication and who are willing to provide our Arizona Clerks with meaningful educational and training opportunities, some of which include collaborating not only through our International Institute of Municipal Clerks Association and Arizona State University partnership who administers our Certified Municipal Clerk Program, but also with the League of Arizona Cities and Towns, the Arizona Secretary of State's office who administers the Certified Election Officer Certification Program, and other state organizations such as the Government Finance Officers of Arizona, and the Elections Officials of Arizona, which provides opportunities for networking with our state and county election officials.

What do you still hope to accomplish before your term as president expires in July?
One would think that a year in the president role would allow time to accomplish goals, however, there are goals/objectives that truly radiate as on-going. Therefore, this year the AMCA Executive Board, with the assistance and guidance from recent past presidents, has begun the process of creating a three-year strategic plan for organization continuity, promotion of leadership roles and professionalism. We'll see how far we take the process this year.

The AMCA Handbook and policies will be finalized this month and then it's on to the spring "clerk's best practices" training session, the planning and adoption process of the 2016/17 budget that include additional joint training opportunities and further enhancements to our Fall and spring "best practice" trainings, and at this year's conclusion hopefully a memorable 2016 AMCA Conference/Election training for our membership.

As done by our Past President Marla Paddock, the tradition will continue with the transition preparation of our next president, Sue Stein, to carry on the mission of AMCA when the torch will be passed on July 27, 2016, which is to provide educational/networking opportunities for the membership that promote excellence and professionalism for the betterment and enrichment of the clerk profession.
 

League of Arizona Cities and Towns
1820 W. Washington St.
Phoenix, AZ  85007
Phone: 602-258-5786
Fax: 602-253-3874
http://www.azleague.org

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